


So you like... flowers or something?

by capawrites



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Bad Flirting, Cute, F/F, Flirting, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28463388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capawrites/pseuds/capawrites
Summary: This is an interaction that Dani has with Jamie just a few hours after seeing her for the first time. Obviously, she is completely in awe of Jamie's beauty and can't get a word out without some stuttering. Also, she's terrible at flirting.Enjoy!
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	So you like... flowers or something?

"She's the gardener?"  
Dani thought to herself after seeing Jamie for the first time. Jamie entered the kitchen and at first, Dani thought she was a friend of Hannah's or Owen's, but then she connected the dots. She knew there was a gardener at Bly but she always pictured a tall, burly, rough-around-the-edges type of guy, not a beautiful and sly woman with so much confidence that you could practically feel it radiate from her. Dani immediately felt drawn to the woman. It was as if Jamie was the sun and Dani was an eager sunflower, orientating herself to the ultimate source of light. She hadn't felt this way in a long time and especially for a stranger.  
"What am I thinking? I don't even know her!"  
Dani thought again as her cheeks grew warmer and her heart beat faster. It was like she was put under a love spell. Frankly, she was enchanted by Jamie's presence. It was at this point where Dani decided she just had to talk to Jamie. She needed to introduce herself at least. But as soon as she finished rehearsing "Hi, I'm Dani. I'm so glad to meet you" over and over in her head, she was hit with a wave of anxiety. The type you feel when you realize you forgot to study for a huge test. The type that sits in your stomach and churns and grows until all you can do is distract yourself with something equally as anxiety-inducing. Dani decides to not introduce herself and skip over that part, it just makes her too nervous. Instead, she asks Hannah and Owen if they had seen a male grounds-keeper recently. Something didn't feel right about the man on the parapet so focusing on that should help sedate the parade of butterflies in her stomach. While everyone eats, Dani can't stop the tugging feeling deep in her soul. Something keeps whispering inside of her... "talk to her, talk to her, talk to her". It repeats over and over until it turns into an aching that she can feel in her bones.  
"What is this? What the hell is happening?"  
Dani thought to herself as she cleaned the kitchen. Everyone had finished their meals and went on to enjoy the rest of the day. Owen took Flora and Miles outside to play while Hannah decided to rest. Dani's mind was racing. It felt good to be this excited but it also made her scared as hell. She's felt attracted to women before, and she knew that she didn't have any particular interest in men, but to feel this drawn to a stranger was completely new to her. The aching feeling inside grew and grew.  
"Fine. I'll talk to her. It will be completely fine. "  
Dani finally built up the courage to formally introduce herself to the gardener. She had finished cleaning up the kitchen and walked to the side garden where Jamie said she'd be after lunch. As she walked, her feet started to feel heavy and her palms began to sweat. The ball of anxiety was growing and growing. Here's the thing, Dani has always been horrible at talking to pretty girls. She just freezes up and turns into either a babbling idiot or the girl who can only speak in stuttered sounds. But she can do this right? ...right? It's just an introduction. What's the worst that could happen?

Dani finally spotted the curly-haired gardener. The reflecting green light from the plants around her made her glow with soft light.  
"I can do this." Dani stated in her head. She was still deep in thought, rehearsing what she was going to say, staring off into the distance when a voice brings her back to reality.  
"You lost one of those gremlins already? Miles, I'm guessin." The gardener propositioned with one eyebrow slanted. She had approached Dani from the side while Dani was deep in thought. "Oh-- uh, ha, yeah- I guess, um." Dani muttered, not wanting to reveal the true reason why she wanted to visit Jamie.

"No, no, no, no this was NOT a part of the plan. I just had one line. ONE." Dani yelled inside her head. Her cheeks turned bright red and sweat was pooling in several locations. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere, Poppins." Jamie said with a smile and a sly voice. Dani just about melted. "Speak Dani, SPEAK!" Dani yelled to herself again. She made eye contact with Jamie and opened her mouth. "Uh- so, you, uh, you like flowers or something?" Dani asked with nervousness dripping from every word. Jamie chuckled, "Well it's either this or a life of crime." She gave Dani a wink and a smirk. Dani, being too nervous for her own good, didn't catch Jamie's joke. "Oh no, have I just fallen in love with a criminal? What would her life of crime even be?" Dani's mind raced as her anxiety took over. Dani mustered up a reply. "Oh, uhh, I-" her bumbling was cut short. "I'm just messing with ya. I love plants. And they love me back." Jamie states.

Jamie was loving every second of this interaction. She could just feel the bubbly, sweet, and caring vibe that Dani carried and she loved every bit of it. She thought this au pair was quite extraordinary but she wouldn't let that show. Not just yet. It's too fun seeing her so tongue-tied. Plus, she barely knows the girl yet. She's not going to have feelings too quick. Not Jamie. Plants, not people. 

Dani nodded and swallowed hard. "I-uh, I once had a little garden when I was a kid. I killed the plants though because I thought they should have a glass of orange juice every day. My mom would always talk about how orange juice was so good for you so I thought hey, why not share with the plants?" Dani finally said a whole sentence, even if it was a bit strange. However, she was talking at the speed of light. Jamie gave her a twisted face, "Orange juice? Never heard of that one." Jamie said as a laugh escaped her mouth. That was enough for Dani to build just a little bit more confidence. In what felt like one breath, Dani perked up and said "Sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to introduce myself and meet you formally and I just started getting a little nervous because I always get nervous around pretty people and-" Dani realized what she just admitted to and a huge smirk grew on Jamie's face. "Oh, you think I'm pretty eh?" Jamie interrupts. Dani's face grows even redder (Dani didn't think that was even possible) and here she is frozen again. "Well, if that's the case, you should come see my pretty face more often. I can teach you how to properly care for plants." Jamie says with emphasis on the word "properly". She gives Dani another big smile. Dani blushes as she locks eyes with the gardener. "That- uh, that sounds, uh, really nice. I would love to" Dani says. "Alrighty then. Well, I got to get back to it. I'll see you around Poppins" Jamie says with a smirk. As she walks away, Dani stands there just smiling at the ground like an idiot. 

"I don't care if I'm a bumbling idiot every time I talk to her. I don't care. She's simply worth every second of embarrassment." Dani thought to herself. The tugging in her heart has turned into something more. Something like a choir of people singing or a garden of flowers in full bloom. All Dani can think is "Wow... wow... wow". Her heart flutters and her smile grows even wider.  
"Just... wow"


End file.
